(Bloomberg) -- Turkey said a deadly attack on the country’s main aerospace company this week was aimed at destabilizing an effort to develop a self-sufficient defense industry and strengthen its position in the region.
A raid on state-run Turkish Aerospace Industries in Ankara on Wednesday killed five people and injured a further 22, with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, claiming responsibility on Friday. Turkey had earlier identified the two assailants as members of the separatist militant group it’s been fighting for decades and launched counter airstrikes at targets in Iraq and Syria.
Turkish Aerospace is spearheading the development of Turkey’s fifth-generation fighter jet, known as Kaan, with help from the UK’s BAE Systems Plc. The group also has a joint-venture with US giant GE Aerospace, the world’s largest maker of jet engines.
Under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, NATO-member Turkey has been working to develop a robust defense industry to produce warplanes, frigates, drones and ballistic missiles to strengthen the country’s military, which has been expanding its footprint in the region.
“The main target of this attack is our national defense industry and our determined march toward a fully independent Turkey,” the Turkish parliament said after the incident.
Turkish authorities have made modernizing an aging air force a top priority. That’s gained urgency since the country’s expulsion from the program to procure and support Lockheed Martin Corp.’s advanced F-35 fighter jets in 2019, following Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense missiles.
Ties with the West improved early this year when Turkey ratified Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, something Russia opposed and the US and European states had pushed for following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ankara has asked for US permission to obtain and assemble GE Aerospace F110 engines, also used in F-16 warplanes, to power its twin-engine Kaan warplane and F404 engines for Hurjet training aircraft made by Turkish Aerospace, also known as TUSAS.
Turkey plans to retire its F-4 jets and upgrade its F-16 fleet as a stopgap measure before Kaan becomes operational. It also wants to replace its aging Northrop Grumman Corp. fleet of T-38s and F-5s with the homemade Hurjet, which is expected to have armed versions. The country is seeking to acquire Eurofighter jets as well as F-35 warplanes.
In addition to its role in developing military aircraft, including combat helicopters and stealth drones, Turkish Aerospace has delivered helicopter fuselages for Italy’s Leonardo Helicopters as well as composite panels on critical aircraft components for General Dynamics Corp.’s Gulfstream G650 business jet. The company has a minority share in Airbus SE military and has delivered parts for the A400M military transport aircraft.
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